Obama team seeks to turn the page

May 19, 2013
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President Obama / J. Scott Applewhite AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama and his team are looking to turn the page this week, but it won't be easy.

White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer hit the talk show circuit Sunday, but faced many more questions about the Internal Revenue Service and Benghazi than about the economy and national security.

Pfeiffer dismissed Republican "conspiracy theories" about the Benghazi attack last September, and said the White House did not know about IRS targeting of conservative groups until recent news about an inspector general's investigation.

Calling IRS actions "outrageous and inexcusable," Pfeiffer told ABC's This Week that the administration would work with Congress on "legitimate oversight" - but "what we're not going to participate in is partisan fishing expeditions designed to distract from the real issues at hand."

On NBC's Meet the Press, Pfeiffer sad that while there is "a very real problem at the IRS," the Republicans are also trying "to drag Washington into a swamp of partisan fishing expeditions, trumped-up hearings and false allegations."

"We are not going to let that happen," Pfeiffer said. "The president has got business to do for the American people."

Republicans, meanwhile, are gearing up for more congressional hearings on the IRS, trying to find out if any high-ranking Obama administration or campaign officials knew about the targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

"This is just the beginning of this investigation," said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Fox News Sunday.

"What we're talking about here is an attitude that the government knows best," McConnell said. "The nanny state is here to tell us all what to do. And if we start criticizing, you get targeted."

Turning the page in the short term may be impossible, with two major congressional hearings coming up this week.

The Senate Finance Committee has a session Tuesday featuring the first testimony on Tea Party targeting, from former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans a hearing Wednesday that is scheduled to include Shulman and Lois Lerner, director of tax-exempt organizations for the IRS.

In his string of Sunday interviews, Pfeiffer noted that Obama has installed a new temporary director of the IRS, and authorized a 30-day review of agency operations. He told Fox that there will be "a top-down review of the IRS, and everything will be looked at."

Republicans also say they will continue investigating whether the White House sought to cover up the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. The administration initially attributed that attack to a violent protest over an anti-Islam film, but said days later it was a terrorist group operation after all.

Pfeiffer said last week's White House release of administration e-mails detailing the development of "talking points" about Benghazi show that initial intelligence did indicate a protest. He said changes were made out of concern for undermining the investigation of the attack.

Republicans have also criticized the administration over the Justice Department seizure of Associated Press phone records, part of an investigation into news leaks.

As Obama tries to move the past the scandal allegations, his schedule this week includes a meeting with the president of Burma, a speech on counterterrorism, and a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy. The administration is also trying to strike deals with Congress on the budget and a major immigration bills.

Ongoing investigations could complicate the administration's efforts to get back to its own agenda.

Some Republicans said the recent revelations, especially at the IRS, undermine Obama's support of "big government" initiatives.

Ryan, the 2012 Republican candidate for vice president, told Fox News Sunday that he and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had to run last year against big government in theory.

"Now we are seeing big government in practice," Ryan said. "Now, we're seeing the arrogance. We're seeing the cronyism in practice in this second term. And that is even uglier than big government in theory."

On ABC, Pfeiffer said Obama has take steps to overhaul government, and will continue to do so.

"The test here is, when problems arise, how do we address it?" Pfeiffer said. "And in the IRS, we are taking decisive action to make sure this never happens again, and we're going to hold those responsible accountable."